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Live blog: Fans arrested for endangering riders on Alpe d’Huez; Ex-pro’s journey from paracetamol to MDMA; Video of crash that forced Nibali to abandon + more
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Fri, Jul 20, 2018 14:30
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Latest Comments
Born_peddling 43 minutes ago
@Born_peddling Going back to the infrastructure issue.....does a cyclist have priority sign count..... because there's not the space for a cycle path?? (Hill in the background is deceptively steep)
Born_peddling 48 minutes ago
On the subject of female riders though there's plenty round here (with practically zero cycle infrastructure), ok a few of them have been lifelong riders. I'm used to seeing other female riders when I'm out for my carer duties and do they wish the roads were at least maintained, of course they do I've enjoyed a few hilarious passive aggressive comments on the average state of the roads ultimately they take the same chances being on the road but they are more careful in there actions unlike some male riders are which is a cause of concern. As far as straight up encouragement goes there's a few supportive families and schools but very locally to me it's boys as there's an old quarry and they go on it to practice downhill typically.
Global Nomad 1 hour ago
@Gm_Crop 🤪
belugabob 2 hours ago
@Smoggysteve we will never achieve things as long as people keep saying we will never achieve things. It's bad enough that the Netherlands has a 50 year head start on us, without us spending more time navel gazing. In short, the Netherlands weren't like that until somebody decided that they were going to do it.
Gm_Crop 2 hours ago
@Global Nomad Evil Eye make exactly this, and they quote 0.6 seconds to change. Bargain at £620.
belugabob 2 hours ago
@andystow I'm just hoping that Canada and Mexico hurry and finish that wall..
andystow 2 hours ago
@Mr Blackbird I find out about that guy, and now I'm imagining how I could "get away with it."
Mr Blackbird 3 hours ago
@the little onion My wife is a keen recreational cyclist. Generally more segregated cycle lanes would encourage her to make more solo journeys. However, she tends to avoid isolated cycle paths for obvious reasons - especially after dark. Cycling on quiet roads is less of a problem for her because there are always other cars / cyclists about.
Mr Blackbird 4 hours ago
Yee Ha! Pow! Pow! Pow! Herrera sure gets ma vote! Them pesky pinky Democrats think he's mean, but he mows them lycra pussy cyclists down in the name of Jesus our Lord. I just killed me a cyclist. Squashed some li'l kid on tricycle wi' ma truck. He held me up while I was going to Walmart to get me a fresh supply of Trump sympathy diapers.
shufflingb 5 hours ago
@Cayo >> "An optional Bluetooth bendy microphone to clip over your ear or to helmet strap might aid clarity" Definitely, could even use it to do the rider to rider intercom thing.
18 thoughts on “Live blog: Fans arrested for endangering riders on Alpe d’Huez; Ex-pro’s journey from paracetamol to MDMA; Video of crash that forced Nibali to abandon + more”
That Nibali incident is
That Nibali incident is outrageous. How can so called fans sleep at night knowing that they’ve caused the retirement of a GC contender? These are not fans, they’re animals.
Same goes for the twat in the
Same goes for the twat in the green shorts who gave Froome a sideways push as he rode past.
srchar wrote:
He got busted! https://as.com/ciclismo/2018/07/19/tour_francia/1532020428_071632.html
These “fans” are a disgrace
These “fans” are a disgrace
I can only assume these are the same fans who accuse Team Sky of ruining the sport.
Sometimes I wonder if the French would be happier with a Tour de France with only French riders. Though, I’m sure they’d still be unhappy if a Frenchman from a different département won.
Canyon48 wrote:
I expect the one who pushed Froomedog was, but the one who took out Nibali wasn’t. I assume you didn’t think through that one properly.
don simon wrote:
That was the one I was referring to 😛
I’m not sure what was going on with all the flags though, Bardet was having a pretty tough time with flags on long poles being draped in his face quite a few times.
Well that’s cleared that one
Well that’s cleared that one up then…
cant really see the crash,
cant really see the crash, but what it does show is how much of a complete of time videoing anything on a mobile phone is.
enjoy the moment, dont waste your time getting a few flashy images of very little..
Trying to pick my way through
Trying to pick my way through that footage above it looks like Nibali’s bars may have caught on a camera strap flapping around loosely rather than out of the way around someone’s neck! Feel for him, shit way to leave the event.
Stepping through the video it
Stepping through the video it appears Nibali either got caught on something dangling from the crowd or was directly pushed. He was not that close to the motorbikes or other riders.
He falls a fraction of a second after this frame.
When these Grand Tour
When these Grand Tour organisers going to supervise the crowds on these stages is when hell freezes over probably, now that they have partly caused a top rider to retire! Wtf?
Good work Watlina, I only saw
Good work Watlina, I only saw that Nibali was out of shot when he actually fell. Your still frame looks like a flag getting caught in his back wheel.
The person dragging Nibali to his feet was certainly well-intentioned, and maybe it was necessary to get him out of the road for his own safety. It’s not the ideal procedure where there’s a back injury, though.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
It looks nasty when he goes down. Because of his slow speed he just falls straight down sideways on to the road. You can see the pain as he puts his hand straight on to his back. Can’t belive he actually carried on.
Seeing the Dutch fans yet
Seeing the Dutch fans letting flares off in the faces of the lead rider on Wednesday and again on D’huez, this is an assault and those letting them off should be arrested and heavily fined.
RIP to Monty Young, yet another of the old guard to pass away, there are so few left now from those heady days of the late 40s/50s/60s. Glad that Condor live on and in their original address.
As for the Kiwi druggie, sounds like the judge is another wet through type, yeah remorseful my arese, remoreseful that he was caught. Should have got a far heavier sentence, don’t want skanks like that ‘reconnecting’ with cycling thank you very much!
You say that but the phone
You say that but the phone videos are the best shots we have of the Nibali crash.
Enjoy the racing and maybe set your phone on video but try and take it all in. Whenever I’ve been on the Alpe it’s been a great day but you need the TV coverage to show you what actually happened. Live sport is all too fast.
And yes anyone with a flare needs to be arrested. You’d think that would be pretty easy.
fenix wrote:
You are quite right. Unfortunately (I speak from experience having lived in France for over 20 years) the way the Gendarmerie opperates is to nothing to prevent offences being commited, and often stand around and watch them happening, and then act afterwards if they decide to act, ie are directed to.
<pedantry_alert>
Re: “Glad that Condor live on and in their original address” – As I first remember it, back when some of us still lived in black & white and Madame Thatcher was in her grisly pomp…Condor Cycles used to be on the other side of Grays Inn Road, I can then remember them moving to a larger address a couple of doors along – before they moved to their current location.
</pedantry_alert>
HowardR wrote:
You may be right, but whatever, Condors always were, and still are quality*, wherever the exact location of their shop was.
*For the definition of quality, please read “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance”